Build a Stronger Grip for a Better Deadlift and Healthier Hands

Your name is on the monitor. Right next to it, your next deadlift attempt in pounds.

“The bar is ready,” the announcer calls.

As you walk your way through the crowd of lifters, the smell of ointment and ammonia hits your outer senses, as you focus on the lift you intend to make. Next thing you know, you’re at the bar. You pop your ammonia cap, psych yourself up, and you reach down for your final deadlift of the day.

Hands tightening around the bar, you begin your ascent. And then it happens. One inch away from the lockout, the bar slips from your hand because you couldn’t keep a firm grip on it. You walk away from the platform, defeated, feeling the sting of pride messing with you.

Now, that is a terrible scenario. Not just because you missed the lift, but that you are at stage where your grip limited and diminished your ability for the day. However, we can fix that.

It’s All in the Hands

Most of the conventional bodybuilding forearm training revolves around working the muscles of the forearms. A lot of times it involves reverse curls, hammer curls, and wrist curls in both directions. And that’s good, especially if you want aesthetic forearms. But where many miss the mark is that these particular exercises don’t directly train you to have a strong grip.

So let’s take a basic look at what our hands are made of and what they can do.

The Fingers

Your fingers themselves can move in several different ways:

Flexion

Hyperextension

Opposition

Reposition

Adduction

Abduction

Extension

The gallery above shows what each of these looks like in the order written. In addition to those, if you move a given finger in a circle, that is called “circumduction.”

Create your own customized program based on specifications developed by Layne.**Gold (or higher) membership required

"Not only does Layne talk the talk, he's walked the walk. I recommend listening to and reading his resources to any of my friends looking for science-backed fitness information to guide them on their path of knowledge expansion within the realm of fitness. He's one of the few people i've found to be a reliable, educational, no b.s. resource."

In addition to being a fan of music and heavy metal, Peter is an avid player of table top RPGs, and he is a personal trainer in Tampa, FL as well as a graduate of the prestigious University of South Florida. Formerly, he was a prefect for House Slytherin.